Etymology

Probably a calque of an Old Saxon name first attested in 1031 as Brunesguik: Brūnōnis (genitive form of Brūnō, itself a Latinisation of the Old Saxon and/or Old High German Brūn, i.e. St. Bruno of Saxony (d. 880), legendary founder of the settlement in 861) + vīcus (“a village or other settlement of some importance”, in Medieval Latin also “a merchants’ settlement” and “a centre for river-fishing and/or shipping”; at its founding, the settlement stood near a ford across the River Oker) = “Bruno’s village” ≈ “Brownswick”. Compare the modern Low German name for the city (Brunswiek) and the English -wick.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /bruːˈnoː.nis ˈwiː.kus/, [bruːˈnoː.nɪs ˈwiː.kʊs]